I'll be issuing my top 100 albums of the year over the next month or so, as I complete each section. As for what's up now, here is the first 25 records in my album of the year list, complete with album art, descriptions, and downloads, just after the break. Check it out!
100. Pianos Become the Teeth - 'The Lack Long After'
Genre: Skramz
Country of Origin: USA
Pianos Become the Teeth have always been one of the better straight-forward skramz bands out there, mixing heavy basslines and huge climaxes into their otherwise-traditional sound. While they don't do a whole lot new, the fact is that on their sophomore effort, they just do a whole hell of a lot RIGHT, with thundering bass, crashing drums, desperate vocals and a nice mix of clean and heavy guitars. The Wave might be annoying as hell, but the bands in it have definitely put out some great albums this year, and Pianos Become the Teeth are no exception.
Top tracks: I'll Be Damned; Shared Bodies
Genre: Skramz
Country of Origin: USA
Pianos Become the Teeth have always been one of the better straight-forward skramz bands out there, mixing heavy basslines and huge climaxes into their otherwise-traditional sound. While they don't do a whole lot new, the fact is that on their sophomore effort, they just do a whole hell of a lot RIGHT, with thundering bass, crashing drums, desperate vocals and a nice mix of clean and heavy guitars. The Wave might be annoying as hell, but the bands in it have definitely put out some great albums this year, and Pianos Become the Teeth are no exception.
Top tracks: I'll Be Damned; Shared Bodies
99. The Caretaker - 'An empty bliss beyond this world'
Genre: Dark Ambient
Country of Origin: England
If I had to pick one album I was dreading writing about on this list above all others, this would be it. Easily one of the most baffling and contradictory records of the year, The Caretaker manages to make a remarkably serene piece of music that (as any review will tell you) crosses itself every chance it gets. Pieced together out of samples of early-to-mid-century jazz tunes, the record manages to sound almost futuristic in how old fashioned it is, beautiful despite the overwhelming dark ambient vibes, tragic despite the joyous source material. The Caretaker has created an obtuse, brilliant, impenetrable, powerful record that should absolutely not be missed.
Top tracks: Camaraderie at arms length; Moments of sufficient lucidity
98. Deafheaven - 'Roads to Judah'
Genre: Post-Black Metal
Country of Origin: USA
It's telling that Deafheaven wait more than four minutes to show their true colours on their debut LP, 'Roads to Judah.' I still remember when Aramis, the other writer on this blog, downloaded Deafheaven's 2010 demo onto my computer at the urging of one of his friends, and I hesitantly threw it on my iPod out of curiosity. What I was hit with was a wonderful surprise, a beautiful, evocative mixture of black metal, post-rock, and hardcore. When I heard about their four-track full-length earlier this year, I was overjoyed at more material from the almost-local group, and what I got easily lived up to the expectations. After a long post-rock-styled build-up, we're treated to a pummeling assault of hardcore-influenced post-black metal, which (despite all of the hyphens) is truly evocative. When the shimmering guitars finally fade out into the closing piano chords in the final track, it's hard not to feel moved.
Top tracks: Tunnel of Trees; Violet
Listen.
Genre: Post-Black Metal
Country of Origin: USA
It's telling that Deafheaven wait more than four minutes to show their true colours on their debut LP, 'Roads to Judah.' I still remember when Aramis, the other writer on this blog, downloaded Deafheaven's 2010 demo onto my computer at the urging of one of his friends, and I hesitantly threw it on my iPod out of curiosity. What I was hit with was a wonderful surprise, a beautiful, evocative mixture of black metal, post-rock, and hardcore. When I heard about their four-track full-length earlier this year, I was overjoyed at more material from the almost-local group, and what I got easily lived up to the expectations. After a long post-rock-styled build-up, we're treated to a pummeling assault of hardcore-influenced post-black metal, which (despite all of the hyphens) is truly evocative. When the shimmering guitars finally fade out into the closing piano chords in the final track, it's hard not to feel moved.
Top tracks: Tunnel of Trees; Violet
Listen.
97. Pathology - 'Awaken to the Suffering'
Genre: Slam
Country of Origin: USA
With four albums in just as many years, one could be excused for expecting the quality of Pathology's work to suffer after awhile. And yet, here the band are, still strong as ever. On their newest full-length, we're simply given Pathology doing what Pathology do best--punishing, straight-forward slam with all the fat trimmed, featuring a notable lack of samples and absolutely destructive vocals. The five-piece wastes no time on their latest effort, unleashing brutal slams, intense drums, and ridiculously guttural vocals, and (despite the occasional awkward guitar solo) don't let up once until the final gorgeous minute-long outro, delivering one of the most effective albums to come from brutal death metal all year.
Top tracks: Hostility Towards Conformity; Festering in Filth
Listen.
Genre: Slam
Country of Origin: USA
With four albums in just as many years, one could be excused for expecting the quality of Pathology's work to suffer after awhile. And yet, here the band are, still strong as ever. On their newest full-length, we're simply given Pathology doing what Pathology do best--punishing, straight-forward slam with all the fat trimmed, featuring a notable lack of samples and absolutely destructive vocals. The five-piece wastes no time on their latest effort, unleashing brutal slams, intense drums, and ridiculously guttural vocals, and (despite the occasional awkward guitar solo) don't let up once until the final gorgeous minute-long outro, delivering one of the most effective albums to come from brutal death metal all year.
Top tracks: Hostility Towards Conformity; Festering in Filth
Listen.
96. Decoder - 'Decoder'
Genre: Modern Post-Hardcore
Country of Origin: USA
Featuring ex-members of VersaEmerge, Oceana, and Of Machines, Decoder were bound to be interesting almost no matter what. However, the album they ended up making was far greater than my expectations pointed to--this was not a straightforward, faux-emotive, fun modern post-hardcore album. What I got was a truly creative, hard-hitting piece of organic, fluid, original music. While still clearly rooted in modern post-hardcore, Decoder's debut record is brimming with influences, from its immense post-rock-esque crescendos to the ambient guitar lines to the post-metal harsh vocals to the incredible range of the clean vocals, every element of this album thoroughly impresses.
Top tracks: Believers; The Light
Listen.
Genre: Modern Post-Hardcore
Country of Origin: USA
Featuring ex-members of VersaEmerge, Oceana, and Of Machines, Decoder were bound to be interesting almost no matter what. However, the album they ended up making was far greater than my expectations pointed to--this was not a straightforward, faux-emotive, fun modern post-hardcore album. What I got was a truly creative, hard-hitting piece of organic, fluid, original music. While still clearly rooted in modern post-hardcore, Decoder's debut record is brimming with influences, from its immense post-rock-esque crescendos to the ambient guitar lines to the post-metal harsh vocals to the incredible range of the clean vocals, every element of this album thoroughly impresses.
Top tracks: Believers; The Light
Listen.
95. Maybeshewill - 'I Was Here For A Moment, Then I Was Gone'
Genre: Post-Rock
Country of Origin: England
Maybeshewill's previous album was one of the first of the 'loud post-rock' albums to really get noticed, and boy was it good. Mixing in post-rock style crescendos with soaring keyboards, slick mathy guitars, and even a couple breakdowns made for one of the first truly interesting post-rock albums since Godspeed went on hiatus. Naturally, I had pretty high expectations for their third release, and it topped all of them. Maybeshewill's latest album takes everything that made their last one great and turns it on its head, making it all the better in the process. The haunting strings and gorgeous piano melody add more to their sound than can be described, and the way these elements coalesce with their trademark huge guitar crescendos is inspiring. Maybeshewill are easily one of the most interesting post-rock bands around today, and they're just getting better.
Top tracks: Take This to Heart; Relative Minors
Listen.
Genre: Post-Rock
Country of Origin: England
Maybeshewill's previous album was one of the first of the 'loud post-rock' albums to really get noticed, and boy was it good. Mixing in post-rock style crescendos with soaring keyboards, slick mathy guitars, and even a couple breakdowns made for one of the first truly interesting post-rock albums since Godspeed went on hiatus. Naturally, I had pretty high expectations for their third release, and it topped all of them. Maybeshewill's latest album takes everything that made their last one great and turns it on its head, making it all the better in the process. The haunting strings and gorgeous piano melody add more to their sound than can be described, and the way these elements coalesce with their trademark huge guitar crescendos is inspiring. Maybeshewill are easily one of the most interesting post-rock bands around today, and they're just getting better.
Top tracks: Take This to Heart; Relative Minors
Listen.
94. Various Artists - 'Odour of Dust & Rot'
Genre: Black Metal
Country of Origin: Various
There are a lot of things I don't like, but 'various artists' albums are pretty near the top of that list. They're usually a bunch of shitty tracks thrown together as a money grab, often just a group of terrible covers or singles by a bunch of artists, and they're a pain in the ass to tag in iTunes. All of that being said, Rhinocervs have put out a truly fantastic compilation this year, with fourteen brilliant tracks of semi-atmospheric black metal brought to us by six different bands (as well as a good deal of other anonymous musicians, all under the guise of 'Unknown Artist'). 'Odour of Dust & Rot' is one of those rare compilations that actually feels necessary--all of the tracks are exclusive, fit together beautiful, and (most importantly) are really, really, really good. If you're a fan of black metal, there is literally no excuse not to have this.
Top tracks: Empty as the Prophecy (by Tukaaria); Principle of Harmonic Resonance (by Kuxan Suum)
Listen.
Genre: Black Metal
Country of Origin: Various
There are a lot of things I don't like, but 'various artists' albums are pretty near the top of that list. They're usually a bunch of shitty tracks thrown together as a money grab, often just a group of terrible covers or singles by a bunch of artists, and they're a pain in the ass to tag in iTunes. All of that being said, Rhinocervs have put out a truly fantastic compilation this year, with fourteen brilliant tracks of semi-atmospheric black metal brought to us by six different bands (as well as a good deal of other anonymous musicians, all under the guise of 'Unknown Artist'). 'Odour of Dust & Rot' is one of those rare compilations that actually feels necessary--all of the tracks are exclusive, fit together beautiful, and (most importantly) are really, really, really good. If you're a fan of black metal, there is literally no excuse not to have this.
Top tracks: Empty as the Prophecy (by Tukaaria); Principle of Harmonic Resonance (by Kuxan Suum)
Listen.
93. Lonesummer - 'There are Few Tomorrows for Feeding Our Worries'
Genre: Bedroom Black Metal/Post-Rock/Noise/Shoegaze
Country of Origin: USA
Lonesummer is a strange beast of a bedroom music project, mixing black metal, harsh noise, post-rock, shoegaze, ambient, and a few other styles of music along the way. In his few short years of existence under the Lonesummer moniker, he's put out a remarkable amount of quality music (including a damn split with Planning For Burial!), but it's all been so buried in noise and difficulty that it's been very easy to gloss over the brilliance hidden in his music. Fortunately, on his latest effort he's fixed that effort, limiting (but not eliminating) the noise inclusions and upping the atmospherics and beauty a thousand times, creating an incredibly emotive and accessible work in experimental semi-black metal.
Top tracks: There are Few Tomorrow for Feeding Our Worries; Clouded Eyes and Candlelights
Listen.
Genre: Bedroom Black Metal/Post-Rock/Noise/Shoegaze
Country of Origin: USA
Lonesummer is a strange beast of a bedroom music project, mixing black metal, harsh noise, post-rock, shoegaze, ambient, and a few other styles of music along the way. In his few short years of existence under the Lonesummer moniker, he's put out a remarkable amount of quality music (including a damn split with Planning For Burial!), but it's all been so buried in noise and difficulty that it's been very easy to gloss over the brilliance hidden in his music. Fortunately, on his latest effort he's fixed that effort, limiting (but not eliminating) the noise inclusions and upping the atmospherics and beauty a thousand times, creating an incredibly emotive and accessible work in experimental semi-black metal.
Top tracks: There are Few Tomorrow for Feeding Our Worries; Clouded Eyes and Candlelights
Listen.
92. Burial - 'Street Halo'
Genre: Dubstep/Garage
Country of Origin: England
Call him what you want (dubstep, garage, post-dubstep, whatever), it's hard to deny that whatever it is that Burial does, he is the undisputed master of his craft. 2007's 'Untrue' is still one of the greatest albums of all time, and it's nice to see that since then Burial has taken a quality-over-quantity approach, releasing a few EPs throughout the year, all filled with more of the fantastic work that he's known for. The stuttering, laid-back beats meld with the beautiful ambience and moody, warped vocals to create that perfect city-streets-at-2-AM-after-the-party feeling. 'Street Halo' contains some of Burial's best work yet, it's just a shame that it's so short, considering how important establishing atmosphere is for this type of music.
Top tracks: Stolen Dog; Street Halo
Listen.
Genre: Dubstep/Garage
Country of Origin: England
Call him what you want (dubstep, garage, post-dubstep, whatever), it's hard to deny that whatever it is that Burial does, he is the undisputed master of his craft. 2007's 'Untrue' is still one of the greatest albums of all time, and it's nice to see that since then Burial has taken a quality-over-quantity approach, releasing a few EPs throughout the year, all filled with more of the fantastic work that he's known for. The stuttering, laid-back beats meld with the beautiful ambience and moody, warped vocals to create that perfect city-streets-at-2-AM-after-the-party feeling. 'Street Halo' contains some of Burial's best work yet, it's just a shame that it's so short, considering how important establishing atmosphere is for this type of music.
Top tracks: Stolen Dog; Street Halo
Listen.
91. Until Your Heart Stops - 'Errors'
Genre: Hardcore
Country of Origin: USA
The first track of Until Your Heart Stops' debut full-length is pretty misleading. The first half of the second track is pretty misleading too, for that matter. Starting off with some acoustic guitars and female vocals, the albums gets even more confusing when the second song begins with nothing but guitars and gang vocals. But once things finally pick up, 'Errors' shows its true colours: a fantastic hardcore album with little creative twists like this scattered throughout. Deftly dancing between hardcore cliches ('FUUUUUUUUUUUUCK YOOOOOOOOOU) and brilliant little unique flourishes, Until Your Heart Stops have created a brilliantly climactic, fun, cohesive, clever, and to-the-point hardcore album. If these guys don't blow up soon, I have no faith in the hardcore scene anymore.
Top tracks: Fool's Gold; Fish Ranch Road (The Wanderer)
Listen.
Genre: Hardcore
Country of Origin: USA
The first track of Until Your Heart Stops' debut full-length is pretty misleading. The first half of the second track is pretty misleading too, for that matter. Starting off with some acoustic guitars and female vocals, the albums gets even more confusing when the second song begins with nothing but guitars and gang vocals. But once things finally pick up, 'Errors' shows its true colours: a fantastic hardcore album with little creative twists like this scattered throughout. Deftly dancing between hardcore cliches ('FUUUUUUUUUUUUCK YOOOOOOOOOU) and brilliant little unique flourishes, Until Your Heart Stops have created a brilliantly climactic, fun, cohesive, clever, and to-the-point hardcore album. If these guys don't blow up soon, I have no faith in the hardcore scene anymore.
Top tracks: Fool's Gold; Fish Ranch Road (The Wanderer)
Listen.
90. Nicolas Jaar - 'Space Is Only Noise'
Genre: Experimental Electronic
Country of Origin: USA
To say that Nicolas Jaar's first record is weird is just stating the obvious. 'Space Is Only Noise' is a deceptively minimalistic swirl of pitch-shifted vocals, ambient samples, bass-synth and simple beats. For how dense it is, there's really very little to this album. But make no mistake, despite its simplicity, this album is one of the most impenetrable and distinctive works of music put out this year, and is certainly not for those who like their music to be easily digestible. However, for anyone up to the challenge of processing Nicolas Jaar's experimental electronic masterpiece, there is so much to offer here it's dizzying.
Top tracks: I Got A Woman; Variations
Listen.
Genre: Experimental Electronic
Country of Origin: USA
To say that Nicolas Jaar's first record is weird is just stating the obvious. 'Space Is Only Noise' is a deceptively minimalistic swirl of pitch-shifted vocals, ambient samples, bass-synth and simple beats. For how dense it is, there's really very little to this album. But make no mistake, despite its simplicity, this album is one of the most impenetrable and distinctive works of music put out this year, and is certainly not for those who like their music to be easily digestible. However, for anyone up to the challenge of processing Nicolas Jaar's experimental electronic masterpiece, there is so much to offer here it's dizzying.
Top tracks: I Got A Woman; Variations
Listen.
89. A$AP Rocky - 'Live.Love.A$AP'
Genre: Cloud Rap
Country of Origin: USA
A$AP Rocky is one of the flag-bearers for the growing 'cloud rap' subgenre. This means he falls somewhere between Childish Gambino (but less annoying) and Lil B (but more serious), laying down surprisingly catchy verses over thick, syrupy ambient beats. The obligatory inclusion of Clams Casino on many tracks helps of course, but A$AP Rocky manages to keep a fairly long rap album legitimately interesting throughout the whole runtime. An uncommon feat for the genre, there are basically no throwaway tracks to be found on A$AP's first mixtape, and in fact, there's quite the abundance of brilliance here (provided you can get past the swag).
Genre: Cloud Rap
Country of Origin: USA
A$AP Rocky is one of the flag-bearers for the growing 'cloud rap' subgenre. This means he falls somewhere between Childish Gambino (but less annoying) and Lil B (but more serious), laying down surprisingly catchy verses over thick, syrupy ambient beats. The obligatory inclusion of Clams Casino on many tracks helps of course, but A$AP Rocky manages to keep a fairly long rap album legitimately interesting throughout the whole runtime. An uncommon feat for the genre, there are basically no throwaway tracks to be found on A$AP's first mixtape, and in fact, there's quite the abundance of brilliance here (provided you can get past the swag).
Top tracks: Wassup; Purple Swag: Chapter 2
Listen.
Listen.
88. Ever Forthright - 'Ever Forthright'
Genre: Djent
Country of Origin: USA
Whether or not you think djent is a real genre, that specific style is pumping out a lot of good music this year. Few bands did it better than Ever Forthright did on their debut effort, smashing together an almost dizzying combination of genres from djent/metal/core to post-hardcore to legitimate jazz. The ease with which they switch from fast, brutal metal to incredibly smooth jazz, from immense guttural vocals to soaring cleans, is incredible, and truly something to behold. This is a band with a remarkable mastery over not only their instruments and their genre(s), but music as a whole. If this is what Ever Forthright's first album sounds like, I can't imagine what they'll do in the future.
Top tracks: Dispose of Your Optimism; Infinitely Inward
Listen.
Genre: Djent
Country of Origin: USA
Whether or not you think djent is a real genre, that specific style is pumping out a lot of good music this year. Few bands did it better than Ever Forthright did on their debut effort, smashing together an almost dizzying combination of genres from djent/metal/core to post-hardcore to legitimate jazz. The ease with which they switch from fast, brutal metal to incredibly smooth jazz, from immense guttural vocals to soaring cleans, is incredible, and truly something to behold. This is a band with a remarkable mastery over not only their instruments and their genre(s), but music as a whole. If this is what Ever Forthright's first album sounds like, I can't imagine what they'll do in the future.
Top tracks: Dispose of Your Optimism; Infinitely Inward
Listen.
87. The Drums - 'Portamento'
Genre: Indie Pop
Country of Origin: USA
Fun fact about me: I hate indie pop. I mean, I really hate it. I would rather die than listen through another album of faux-retro, samey, understated anthems with catchy hooks and 'deep lyrics.' Yeah, I'm looking at you, Girls and Dirty Projectors (and any other UrbanOutfitters-core bands out there). That being said, there's something about The Drums' sophomore effort that's been bringing me back ever since the first time a friend forced me to listen through it. Initially, the record tricks you into thinking it's just another one of those albums, but somewhere in the midsection of the album, something happens. There's a certain sense of longing that creeps into the music, little hints of real tragedy sprinkled here and there that turn the record into something else, and make it really stick. Even if you don't like indie pop, you owe it to yourself to look into this one.
Top tracks: Hard to Love; I Don't Know How to Love
Listen.
86. Cynic - 'Carbon-Based Anatomy'
Country of Origin: USA
Fun fact about me: I hate indie pop. I mean, I really hate it. I would rather die than listen through another album of faux-retro, samey, understated anthems with catchy hooks and 'deep lyrics.' Yeah, I'm looking at you, Girls and Dirty Projectors (and any other UrbanOutfitters-core bands out there). That being said, there's something about The Drums' sophomore effort that's been bringing me back ever since the first time a friend forced me to listen through it. Initially, the record tricks you into thinking it's just another one of those albums, but somewhere in the midsection of the album, something happens. There's a certain sense of longing that creeps into the music, little hints of real tragedy sprinkled here and there that turn the record into something else, and make it really stick. Even if you don't like indie pop, you owe it to yourself to look into this one.
Top tracks: Hard to Love; I Don't Know How to Love
Listen.
Genre: Progressive Metal
Country of Origin: USA
Cynic are a pretty curious band. Creating one of the most important albums in progressive metal way back in 1994, they then disappeared off the face of the planet until releasing their second album in 2008. Since then, they've released two EPs which have significantly distanced themselves from the fusion-based progressive metal sound, and have finally settled into a groovy, worldly combination of progressive rock and somewhat metallic riffs. Their latest EP is their first proper release with no harsh vocals, but (surprisingly) they really aren't missed. 'Carbon-Based Anatomy' might be Cynic's best piece yet, with busy bass-work, ambient guitars, and absolutely stunning emotive vocals, this is a work that should not be skipped, period.
Top tracks: Carbon-Based Anatomy; Box Up My Bones
Listen.
Country of Origin: USA
Cynic are a pretty curious band. Creating one of the most important albums in progressive metal way back in 1994, they then disappeared off the face of the planet until releasing their second album in 2008. Since then, they've released two EPs which have significantly distanced themselves from the fusion-based progressive metal sound, and have finally settled into a groovy, worldly combination of progressive rock and somewhat metallic riffs. Their latest EP is their first proper release with no harsh vocals, but (surprisingly) they really aren't missed. 'Carbon-Based Anatomy' might be Cynic's best piece yet, with busy bass-work, ambient guitars, and absolutely stunning emotive vocals, this is a work that should not be skipped, period.
Top tracks: Carbon-Based Anatomy; Box Up My Bones
Listen.
85. Trophy Scars - 'Never Born, Never Dead'
Genre: Bluesy Post-Hardcore
Country of Origin: USA
To call Trophy Scars one of the most interesting bands around these days is to state the obvious. Starting their career off with a series of twisted, spastic post-hardcore EPs before releasing an album that was three times as twisted and genre-spanning, and then doing a complete 180, releasing a second full-length which completely strayed from their post-hardcore format, instead offering bluesy licks and gruff, Tom Waits-styled vocals. Since then, they've released two EPs which further tread down this past, and god each thing that Trophy Scars does is more impressive than the last. Their newest effort fully throws itself into the progressive, climactic barroom-post-hardcore that last year's brilliant 'Darkness, Oh Hell' hinted at, proving that Trophy Scars are one of the inventive and unique bands in the rock business.
Top tracks: Snake Oil; Angels
Listen.
Genre: Bluesy Post-Hardcore
Country of Origin: USA
To call Trophy Scars one of the most interesting bands around these days is to state the obvious. Starting their career off with a series of twisted, spastic post-hardcore EPs before releasing an album that was three times as twisted and genre-spanning, and then doing a complete 180, releasing a second full-length which completely strayed from their post-hardcore format, instead offering bluesy licks and gruff, Tom Waits-styled vocals. Since then, they've released two EPs which further tread down this past, and god each thing that Trophy Scars does is more impressive than the last. Their newest effort fully throws itself into the progressive, climactic barroom-post-hardcore that last year's brilliant 'Darkness, Oh Hell' hinted at, proving that Trophy Scars are one of the inventive and unique bands in the rock business.
Top tracks: Snake Oil; Angels
Listen.
84. Botanist - 'I: The Suicide Tree/II: A Rose From the Dead'
Genre: Experimental Black Metal
Country of Origin: USA
In a year filled with bizarre and experimental music, Botanist really stood out from the crowd. I mean honestly, how often have you heard black metal made with no guitars, no bass, just harsh vocals, relentless drums, and evil atmospherics provided by a hammer dulcimer? Yes, Botanist's crazed double-album debut is almost impossible to take in, but that's easily part of the beauty of the piece. This is a 40-track monstrosity, and it's like nothing you've heard before. There's only so much that can really be said about this piece--experimental in unheard-of ways, this is one of the most evil albums out there today, and will absolutely rock you to your core, provided you can give it the chance.
Top tracks: Convolvulus Althaeoides; Abrus Precatorius
Listen.
Genre: Experimental Black Metal
Country of Origin: USA
In a year filled with bizarre and experimental music, Botanist really stood out from the crowd. I mean honestly, how often have you heard black metal made with no guitars, no bass, just harsh vocals, relentless drums, and evil atmospherics provided by a hammer dulcimer? Yes, Botanist's crazed double-album debut is almost impossible to take in, but that's easily part of the beauty of the piece. This is a 40-track monstrosity, and it's like nothing you've heard before. There's only so much that can really be said about this piece--experimental in unheard-of ways, this is one of the most evil albums out there today, and will absolutely rock you to your core, provided you can give it the chance.
Top tracks: Convolvulus Althaeoides; Abrus Precatorius
Listen.
83. Raein - 'Sulla Linea D'orizzonte Tra Questa Mia Vita e Quella Di Tutti'
Genre: Skramz
Country of Origin: Italy
Ah, European screamo. France and Italy do it like no one else can, and this year Raein have made an absolutely fantastic showing. This is simple, straight-forward skramz done perfectly, nothing more, nothing less. Powerful guitar lines, crashing drums, and brilliantly emotive vocals provide the band a sense of urgency lacking from a lot of the bigger bands in the genre lately, and while this is certainly not the most innovative album ever, it's just good. Really good. And hell, if you can take a genre like screamo and do it this well, you've got a pretty damn awesome album on your hands.
Top tracks: Constellazione secondo le leggi del caso; Dopo di noi la libertà
Listen.
Genre: Skramz
Country of Origin: Italy
Ah, European screamo. France and Italy do it like no one else can, and this year Raein have made an absolutely fantastic showing. This is simple, straight-forward skramz done perfectly, nothing more, nothing less. Powerful guitar lines, crashing drums, and brilliantly emotive vocals provide the band a sense of urgency lacking from a lot of the bigger bands in the genre lately, and while this is certainly not the most innovative album ever, it's just good. Really good. And hell, if you can take a genre like screamo and do it this well, you've got a pretty damn awesome album on your hands.
Top tracks: Constellazione secondo le leggi del caso; Dopo di noi la libertà
Listen.
82. Kurt Vile - 'Smoke Ring For My Halo'
Genre: Folk/Rock
Country of Origin: USA
Watching Kurt Vile go from the Lo-Fi King to relatively clean-cut rockish folk over the last few years has been a strange transition. It's a pleasure to know, however, that despite his recordings losing their so-called 'edge,' the music itself has only improved. On his latest effort, Kurt has finally perfected his sound, offering up a sort of mix between Velvet Underground-era Lou Reed and mid-period Wilco--but of course with his own unique, remarkable sound. 'Smoke Ring For My Halo' is by far his most accessible album yet, but it's also one of the most obviously emotive and purely enjoyable albums of the year.
Top tracks: Society Is My Friend; Runner Ups
Listen.
Genre: Folk/Rock
Country of Origin: USA
Watching Kurt Vile go from the Lo-Fi King to relatively clean-cut rockish folk over the last few years has been a strange transition. It's a pleasure to know, however, that despite his recordings losing their so-called 'edge,' the music itself has only improved. On his latest effort, Kurt has finally perfected his sound, offering up a sort of mix between Velvet Underground-era Lou Reed and mid-period Wilco--but of course with his own unique, remarkable sound. 'Smoke Ring For My Halo' is by far his most accessible album yet, but it's also one of the most obviously emotive and purely enjoyable albums of the year.
Top tracks: Society Is My Friend; Runner Ups
Listen.
81. Tom Waits - 'Bad As Me'
Genre: Folk/Blues/Rock
Country of Origin: USA
Tom Waits will always be Tom Waits. There are very few artists from the '70s who are still pumping out music, and even fewer for whom that output is actually good--and yet, Tom Waits still manages to come out on top. On his eighteenth studio album, Waits delivers more of exactly what he's good at: weird, fucked-up bluesy kinda-rock, topped off with his brilliant trademark bourbon-soaked vocals. If you like what Tom Waits does, this is yet another fantastic album from his immense repertoire. If you don't, shame on you.
Top tracks: Satisfied; Face to the Highway
Listen.
Genre: Folk/Blues/Rock
Country of Origin: USA
Tom Waits will always be Tom Waits. There are very few artists from the '70s who are still pumping out music, and even fewer for whom that output is actually good--and yet, Tom Waits still manages to come out on top. On his eighteenth studio album, Waits delivers more of exactly what he's good at: weird, fucked-up bluesy kinda-rock, topped off with his brilliant trademark bourbon-soaked vocals. If you like what Tom Waits does, this is yet another fantastic album from his immense repertoire. If you don't, shame on you.
Top tracks: Satisfied; Face to the Highway
Listen.
Genre: Indie Rock
Country of Origin: USA
It's rare that I declare a pure 'indie rock' album to be perfect, but here I go: 'Dig Up the Dead' is a fucking perfect indie rock album. The fact is, on Mansions' second album, Christopher Browder simply hits every note just right. The guitars are sublime, the melodies beautiful, and the atmosphere is like a wonderful evolution of 'Deja Entendu'-era Brand New if they had refined their sound differently. The rock tracks are hard-hitting, and the softer tracks are downright tragic. This is simply just another absolutely incredible melancholic indie rock album that manages to stand out from the crowd for once.
Top tracks: Dig Up the Dead; City Don't Care
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79. The Gurchick Tree - 'Sadistic Reflections of Blood'
Genre: Slam
Country of Origin: USA
The Gurchick Tree really came out of nowhere this year, releasing an absolutely fantastic (and just insanely brutal) debut mini-album with almost no press or info whatsoever. But for all the lack of publicity, 'Sadistic Reflections of Blood' is one of the most enjoyable and purely fun slabs of brutal death metal to come out in a long time. Despite the cheesy intro sample, once the record gets going it's pretty stunning. The lack of excessive slams is surprisingly refreshing, the vocals are some of the most intense in the genre, and the production is outstanding. With every note crystal clear and cranked to headphone-busting volumes, when moments like the horrifying sample in 'Inject the Morphine' hit, The Gurchick Tree produce nothing short of chills.Genre: Slam
Country of Origin: USA
Top tracks: Severed Head Sodomy; Inject the Morphine
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78. Björk - 'Biophilia'
Genre: Progressive Pop
Country of Origin: Iceland
Genre: Progressive Pop
Country of Origin: Iceland
Top tracks: Mutual Core, Crystalline
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Genre: Ambient/Experimental Electronic/Glitch
Country of Origin: Canada
Easily one of the most simply cool albums to come out this year, Woulg's latest release is dripping with massive atmospheres and fantastic production. Despite being probably the most 'underground' album on this list, there isn't a second of 'Floating Longingly Towards the Sun' that doesn't feel straight-up huge. The ambient sections alone feel like you're in deep space, and when the glitchy beats and insane bass kick in, it's hard to be anything short of stunned. Yes, this piece is cold, calculated, and filled with yawning caverns of sound, but for all this it's still incredibly human and remarkably relatable. One of the most unique records I've ever heard, Woulg has crafted an outer-space masterpiece, and it's truly tragic that it hasn't blown up yet. On the other hand, the isolation that comes with this album's unknown status goes along with the music itself quite nicely.
Top tracks: Broken; Drift
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76. Cloudkicker - 'Let Yourself Be Huge'
Genre: Post-Rock
Country of Origin: USA
Coming off of last years heavily djent-influenced work of brilliantly creative metal, 'Beacons,' his 2011 record was a nice surprise. Trading in 2010's angular guitars and polyrhythmic drums for a more subdued was one of the most unexpectedly great decisions Ben Sharp has made. With four acoustic interludes and four beautifully fleshed out full-length songs, the album features nods to folk, ambient, post-rock, and shoegaze without ever feeling scattered. And boy is this album filled with wonderful moments, like when the beat kicks back in at the end of the second track or the beautiful unexpected vocals during the album's finale, it's hard not to want to spin this album over and over and over--and at under 30 minutes, it's easy to do just that, thanks to Sharp's wonderful knack for trimming the fat.
Top tracks: Explore, be curious; You and yours
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PART ONE | PART TWO | PART THREE | PART FOUR | PART FIVE
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